


Fatherhood.

by thefluffqueen



Category: Glee
Genre: And Jesse's the father, F/M, Gen, Jesse's an only child, Rachel's pregnant, Repost and rewrite from FF.net, Set during and after Regionals season 1, Teenage Pregnancy, alternate season 2
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-09
Updated: 2015-11-14
Packaged: 2018-04-30 20:45:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5178998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefluffqueen/pseuds/thefluffqueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>17-year-old Jesse St. James has his whole life planned out. But then Rachel Berry, his former girlfriend, calls. And her news forces Jesse to come up with a whole new plan. One that includes Rachel... and their child.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue.

**Author's Note:**

> Story title: Fatherhood.  
> Fandom: Glee.  
> Genre: Romance/Family/Drama.  
> Relationship: Jesse St. James/Rachel Berry. St. Puckleberry friendship. St. Faberry friendship.  
> Characters: Jesse St. James, Rachel Berry, Noah Puckerman, Santana Lopez, Quinn Fabray, Brittany Pierce, Mike Chang, Matt Rutherford, Finn Hudson, Blaine Anderson, Sebastian Smythe, Hiram Berry, Leroy Berry, Claire St. James, Jonathan St. James, Andrea Cohen, Giselle.  
> Warning: Underage sex, bullying. But if you can watch Glee, you can read this.  
> Timeline: Set during and after Journey. It’s alternate season 2. I’ve changed only one thing: Rachel and Jesse have their first time after Bad Reputation. Everything else remains the same.  
> Disclaimer: Glee and their recognizable characters belong to Ryan Murphy and FOX. I own Claire St. James, Jonathan St. James and every character you don’t know.  
> Author’s Note: First of all, I’m really sorry for the long time without any updates. It’s just that stuff has been going on with my mom and she needed all my time and dedication. She went through a major operation on her spine in July and less than two months later (in September 1st) she had to go under the knife again to fix some issues caused by the first operation. Because of her surgeries, she couldn’t do any house chores, so I took over cleaning the house and cooking for her while my husband dealt with the little ones. She’s still recovering, so she’s still my main focus, but I think I have a little time to focus on some other stuff than my family (I’m still a wife and mom, after all).  
> After rereading Fatherhood on FF.net, I’ve decided to rework the whole thing in order to bring my inspiration back. I have some of the latest chapter written, but I can’t recall exactly where I wanted to take it when I was actively working on it (meaning, I know how I want it to end, but there are kinks and things to iron out until then). Reviews and comments are more than welcome.

**Fatherhood**

_Prologue._

**H** is dark, stormy blue eyes find her face the moment he steps onstage, with the first notes of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ echoing in the auditorium. Rachel’s pale and looks visibly thinner – her gold and black dress falls loosely over her body – but her face looks like it’s made of stone, her lips pressed in a thin and tense line. His heart a mess of longing and jealousy and anger, Jesse slides his best showface on and pours out all his confusing feelings through song. Aware that her club is the one to beat (their Journey-inspired setlist was amazing), he gives his best in order to win. He **wants** to win – even if his victory means Rachel losing the one thing she has left to make her happy.

Halfway through his performance, Rachel grows paler and rushes out of the auditorium. Worry slices through all his other emotions, and he freezes up, because he can swear she left with her hand pressed against her mouth (what if she was crying? He can’t handle being the cause of more of her tears). But Andrea, in sync as she is with him since she’s his dance partner, subtly nudges him to carry on, and he obeys, hoping the judges won’t notice his slip.

(He knows they won’t. He has the best showface in their entire group).

When they’re done, they file out of the stage. Shelby looks distracted, but smiles at them appraisingly when they move to the green room.

It doesn’t come as a surprise at all when the judges announce their win. They break out in cheers of celebration, and he smiles genuinely for the first time in weeks when he’s given their trophy to lift it up on the air.

Then he makes the ‘mistake’ to look at Rachel’s direction.

The look on her face as she realizes New Directions haven’t even placed haunts him. She’s leaning against Artie, her hands tightly gripping his wheelchair’s handles, looking sick, exhausted and deathly pale, her eyes full of tears when they lock with his. He is paralyzed at that moment, the same Shelby chooses to take him in a warm embrace. He sees as Rachel closes her eyes and turns her face to look the other way, but not before he can see a single tear escape her eye. His heart shatters in regret, all over again.

Unaware of his stormy emotions, Shelby whispers words of congratulations in his ears. Just as he has done since his return to Carmel, he brushes her off and ignores her tries to get him to acknowledge her. It’s partly because of her that Rachel’s angry at him, and he’s also super pissed at her. He told Shelby he cared for Rachel, warned her not to hurt her daughter. Still, she ignored his warnings and shattered Rachel’s heart anyway.

Andrea smoothly pushes him away from their now-former coach and invites him to an after-party at her house. He agrees. What does he have to lose now, when the one person that matters most to him is out of his reach?

* * *

 **I** t’s been two hours since he saw Rachel last, and the look on her face when VA was declared winner still hasn’t left his mind, no matter how much he tries to drown it down in alcohol. He takes generous gulps out of a bottle of whisky he stole from his father’s bar earlier that day, and he’s on his way to being shit-faced, but he can’t get her devastation out of his brain – and he can’t let go of her face when he broke that egg on her forehead either.

In fact, trying to drown his sorrows in booze only works to bring back memories of the best night of his life – the night when they finally became one, when Rachel gave him, and him alone, a part of her she hadn’t ever given to anyone before. He had been so happy that night, so sure of their future as a couple. For the first time in his life, he had felt like he had found someone who loved him, and him only. And Rachel… Rachel had been so sweet, so soft and willing. He had been real careful with her, had ensured she didn’t hurt at all (actually, he had been so nervous that for a second Rachel had thought he was all bravado and was as virgin as she).

In a way, she was right. Because up until her he had only had sex, had only fucked girls.

To Rachel, he had made love.

And, for someone whose entire life’s planned ahead of him (he has known of his full ride to UCLA – maybe you’ve heard of it. It’s in Los Angeles – since junior year, and he plans on being famous within the next five years, a household name within the next two years after that and an Academy Award winner for Best Actor within ten years), falling so fast in love with someone is pretty much a game-changer.

He’s sitting on the back area of Andrea’s house, his long legs stretched out in front of him and his fingers busy playing with the lid of a vodka bottle when he feels his phone vibrating against his thigh, but chooses to ignore it. It’s probably one of his parents’ assessors calling under their orders to congratulate him on his win, and he can’t muster the strength to pretend to care. He rips the seal out of the vodka bottle and twists the lid open, lifts it up to his mouth – and Chris, who bought the booze thanks to his I.D., blinks in disbelief. Jesse **never** drinks.

His phone vibrates again and, rolling his eyes in exasperation, he tugs it out of his pocket.

His heart nearly stops when he sees Rachel’s name on the missed call log. She left a voice message, and it’s with shaking fingers that he presses the button to his speed-dial list. Closing the door that connects the back porch to the rest of the house, he presses his phone against his ear and waits, fervently praying for her to pick the call up.

She does. He stays silent for a long minute, and so does she, before saying, “Hey… You called?” He can barely recognize his own voice, so soft and unsure, and he gulps down a long sip of vodka, straight from the bottle, before putting back down by his side.

Rachel takes a deep breath. “ _Jesse… Y-yes, I called. I… I have something to tell you_.”

Jesse snorts. “If it’s about you getting back together with Hudson, I really don’t need and don’t want to know, Rachel-”

He’s all but set to break in a long rant on why Hudson is so wrong for her, so undeserving of her love in several levels, when Rachel blurts out the sentence that sends his entire world – his entire life plan – straight to hell. “ _Jesse, I’m pregnant_.”

He blinks in stunned disbelief for what feels like hours, but it’s really seconds, before he gets up on his feet and kicks the full bottle away. “I’ll be there in a couple of hours.”

“ _Okay. Just come in, daddies aren’t home and I’ll leave the door open. And Jesse?_ ”

“Humm?” He makes, patting his pockets after his keys.

“ _Just… Be careful, okay?_ ”

* * *

 **R** achel hangs up her phone and takes a deep, shaky breath. It’s done, she thinks, it’s done. Closing her eyes to keep the onslaught of tears, she breathes shakily in one more time and leans her head against the strong, muscled shoulder of the boy sitting next to her. “He’s coming.”

Puck wraps an arm around her shoulders and squeezes them softly, sweetly kisses the top of her head. “How are you feeling?”

She gives him a teary smile, her eyes still closed, as she breathes in and out, trying to keep herself simultaneously from crying and from being sick to her stomach. “Terrified,” she frankly admits. “I’m not ready to be a mother, Noah.”

“But…?” He says.

“But if I’m really pregnant, then there’s no one else in the world I could have wanted more to be the father of my baby.” One of her hands comes to rest over her still flat belly, and he sees as a small smile curl the corner of her lips. “I loved – I still love Jesse with all my heart. To have a baby with him is to have a part of him that I can hold on to, I can love, I can cherish. I don’t know where our conversation will take us, but, worst case scenario, I’ll still have a little part of Jesse with me the rest of my life.”

“That’s worst case scenario. What’s the best case?” Puck asks curiously.

Rachel pushes a little away from him and opens her eyes, smiles sadly at her friend. “Best case scenario, the baby won’t be the only part of Jesse I’ll have with me for the rest of my life.”


	2. Chapter One.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rachel and Jesse deal with the aftermath of her shocking revelation - and Puck has a few choice words for the father-to-be.

**T** wo and a half hours after the call that changed his life, Jesse stops and parks his car in front of the Berry family house, a house he has grown on the course of several weeks to know as well as he knows his own family house. He stays in his car for a few minutes, trying not to shake in panic, because he’s Jesse St. James, and Jesse St. James doesn’t do panic. Besides, there’s a chance Rachel’s wrong. Maybe she’s just late on her time of the month and making a big deal out of nothing. It wouldn’t be that unexpected, considering the stress she has been enduring lately and her flair for dramatics.

(He tries to convince himself, somewhat halfheartedly, that Rachel isn’t pregnant, but there’s a part of him – a part that’s grown enough to know she’s the woman of his dreams and to wince at everything he has done to hurt her in the last weeks – that reminds him Rachel’s different from other girls. She wouldn’t stoop so low to get back at him for his role at her funkification.)

(There’s a smaller part of him that can’t help but desperately hope Rachel’s right. As he drove to her, he realized he wanted that baby with her, wanted to know they had a tie so strong, it was nearly unbreakable. He notices, with disbelief, that he wants that with her. So the timing’s all wrong. So what? She’s the only woman he can see having his children. If she’s right, and pregnant, they just started on their family a little earlier than planned. From his part, there’s no regret whatsoever over this baby.)

He finally gathers enough of his wits (and his legs stop shaking enough) to leave the relative peace of his car. When he steps out of his Rover, he finds Rachel, wearing a white summer dress and a long-sleeved pink cardigan over it and sitting on her porch, unknowingly mimicking his position from when he called her earlier that evening. Before making his way to her, he looks around and sees an old, beat-up truck parked on her driveway. Recognizing the car as Puckerman’s, he can’t help but feel relieved and scared. Relieved that she isn’t alone. Scared that there won’t be much left of him for his child to know or for his uncle to bury once Puckerman’s done with him.

(He has given Puckerman more than several reasons to kick his sorry ass, Rachel’s funkification being only one of them.)

However, a second, closer look at her at the porch makes him realize she’s alone, clearly waiting for him. Taking a deep breath, he slowly makes his way to where she sits, his shadow falling over her as he grows closer.

His heart stops when the lights on the porch hit her face just right – just enough to bounce off the wet tracks on her cheeks.

Fuck. She’s **crying**.

His body reacts before his brain catches up – he quickly crosses the small space between them, sits down next to her and gathers her in his arms. At first, she’s stiff, tense in his embrace – but that’s momentary. Soon, she relaxes and clings possessively to him, sobbing quietly, all but climbing on his lap, burying her face against the soft cotton of his shirt. “I’m afraid, Jesse,” Rachel blurts out between her sobs.

“I know, baby. I know,” he says, quietly. His hands move up and down her cotton-covered back, trying in vain to soothe her. “But you’re going to be okay. **We** ’re going to be okay. I **love** you.” He cups her face with his hands and looks at her, his eyes soft but serious. “I **love** you, Rachel. I’m really sorry for cracking that egg on your head. I was just so angry, so hurt and jealous. I know, it’s no excuse for my behavior, but that’s God’s honest truth. No one but you welcomed me warmly in McKinley, and then you triple-cast me next to Puckerman and the beanstalk. And then he sang that song to you while I was absent. It was just adding up and up. And then I had to transfer back to McKinley, and that bitch, Giselle, wanted me to prove I was still loyal to them.” He licks his lips, peeved at her silence, strokes her soft and damp cheeks. “To be honest with you, I regretted it almost immediately, but it was already done. And to know I did it to you while you’re pregnant with my kid…” His voice grows thick with tears, his eyes wet with moisture. He hugs her tight, and she hugs him back, equally tight.

In truth, she’s silent because she’s reeling from the lengthy and unexpected apology. Knowing Jesse as well as she does, she knows it’s not often that he apologizes, and it’s even rarer that he apologizes **sincerely** (most often than not he apologizes for the sake of propriety, not because he feels really sorry for something). But something loosens up in her heart as her dark eyes meet his. It’s like she’s seeing **Jesse** again, the boy who promised her he was crazy about her and would never do anything to hurt her. Perhaps it’s her rose-colored, hope-soaked glasses, but there’s a difference between the boy she fell for (and still desperately loves) and the guy who mechanically broke her heart when he cracked an egg on her head.

She can’t help but feel happy she’s the only one who knows and sees the difference.

The expectant parents stay locked in their passionate embrace for quite some time, but then Rachel begins to shiver thanks to the slight chill in the air. Concerned, Jesse gets up, takes her up in his arms and carries her inside. The difference of temperature makes her teeth chatter. Jesse sits her down on the couch and begins to rub her arms up and down. Attracted by the noise, Puck, looking solemn, comes out of the kitchen, takes a look at the scene and pulls out of a closet a blanket for Rachel. He gives it to Jesse, who nods in appreciation as he wraps it around her.

“Go upstairs and take a long hot shower, Berry,” Puck tells her. She looks doubtfully at him for a moment and he rolls her eyes. “Go. I won’t kill the dude, promise.”

Rachel hesitates for a moment. “Promise?” She repeats.

Puck nods. “Promise.”

“Okay. I won’t take long,” she promises Jesse before giving Puck a warning look. When he huffs but holds a hand out, pointing to her house’s staircase, she stands up, presses her lips quickly to Jesse’s.

Puck waits for her bedroom’s door to slam to close, before he turns to Jesse with a dark scowl on his face. The left-tackle shoves Jesse roughly against the wall, glares at him with a fiercely protective glint in his hazel eyes. “Now you and I are gonna have a little chat, you fucking punk,” he hisses. “B there’s having your fucking kid. That’d be reason enough for me to kill you with my bare hands. However, I won’t because I know she needs you more than ever now. No matter what fucking mask she puts on, in the end she’s just a scared girl. Pull another shitty stunt like you did with her or the baby, and you can kiss that stupid pretty face of yours goodbye. Gotcha?”

Jesse takes a deep breath and nods, not at all surprised at Puck’s act. Because, if there’s something he has learnt about the other boy during his brief stint as part of New Directions, it’s that Puck’s fiercely loyal to those precious few he truly cares for – and, since their very brief relationship the year before, Rachel’s one of those precious few.

Satisfied, Puck nods back and lets him go, sighs deeply. “I have to go. Ma still doesn’t know Quinn popped Beth out. Tell B to call me tomorrow. Night, St. James.”

“Good night, Puck,” Jesse replies. He hesitates for a moment, then adds, “And… thank you.”

“Don’t thank me,” Puck says, his face a mask of indifference. “I didn’t do it for you. I did it for her. Make sure she’s fine.” Puck picks his bag up from where he left it earlier that day and leaves. Jesse follows him to the front door and locks it behind him, makes sure the back door is also locked as well as the windows. Once he’s satisfied, he chucks out his jacket, his shoes and socks and paddles his way up to the closed bedroom door.

He reaches her bathroom door, presses his ear against the thick wood. Since there’s no sound of running water, he knocks once, firmly, soundly. “Rachel?” He calls out, sharpens his ears to the noise inside. She doesn’t answer, so he tries the doorknob. It gives way, so he slides in.

The bathroom is foggy, the air thick with warmth. Jesse waves his hand in front of his face to disperse some fog. Narrowing his eyes, he sees Rachel curled on a corner of the shower area, naked and wet, tears running down her face. She looks so lost and despondent that his heart breaks for her all over again. Wordlessly, he strips down to his underwear and steps into the shower area with her, taking her in his arms. At first lost on what to do, he begins to softly hum ‘Hello’, and she clings desperately to him, tucking her face against the curve of his neck, crying quietly.

Finally the events of the day catch up with him, and he can’t help but cry a little himself.

When he got out of bed that morning, he was Jesse St. James, the star of Vocal Adrenaline, well on his way to becoming the household name he dreamt of being since always. More than twelve hours later, he’s changed once again: he’s now a 17-year-old boy with a scared 16-year-old girlfriend who is pregnant with their first baby (yeah, there’s **no way** they’re staying broken up when they have that unbreakable bond growing inside of Rachel).

When he got out of bed that morning, he had his entire life, already planned and mapped out in front of him. Now, he has to come up with a whole new plan, a plan that includes Rachel… And their baby.

 

* * *

**R** achel begins to cry the moment she lets herself relax, under the warm water of her shower. When she called Jesse earlier that evening, she didn’t expect him to come – not really. In fact, his presence at her home, willing to apologize to her and to help her decide what to do about the baby (there’s a baby growing inside of her, she’s still in disbelief over this), still feels surreal, like an out-of-body experience. Noah’s support she expected, even counted on, especially in light of his experience as a teenage father. But not Jesse.

Still, she can’t help but feel relief that Jesse’s here, at her house, in close range, reachable to her once again. As warm water falls down on her, she makes a vow to never let him doubt her love again, never allow Finn to step between them again. For it’s Jesse she loves, it’s Jesse she wants by her side forever and ever. So, she cries in relief, cries and cries and cries until she feels drained.

Her hand brushes absently against her belly and she freezes. Soon there will be a small curve there, undeniable proof that she had unprotected sex with her boyfriend and is on her way to being a teenage mother. Unbidden, new tears rise to her eyes, and she weeps, once again, to everything she supposes she’ll lose with this new circumstance in her life. She cries for the life she had, a life that will change now. She cries for her dreams and plans, dreams and plans that will come second to the baby now. She cries for the dreams and plans she knows Jesse had, dreams and plans that she forced him to give up on when she told him about the baby.

Make no mistake – for a while she considered not telling him about the baby. Out of spite for what he did to her just two weeks ago, out of fear of being flat-out rejected, out of heartbreak for the lies and secrets he kept from her throughout their relationship. But a brief conversation with Noah put an end to those thoughts, when Noah reminded her Jesse had rights as father that she couldn’t deny him no matter how much she wanted to.

_“He has the right to choose as much as you do, B,” Noah had said quietly as they sat on her couch, one of her several positive home pregnancy tests sitting on the coffee table in front of her. “He has the right to know there’s his kid inside you, and to choose whether or not he wants to be a dad to that kid.”_

_“What if he turns me down?” She had whispered, her voice thick with the tears she had shed and the ones she hadn’t shed. “What if he turns **us** down?”_

_“Then we’ll sit down and discuss what to do, but first you have to tell him.”_

Exhausted, she stands up and turns the tap off, but can’t find in herself the strength to leave the shower. When the knock on her door comes, she claps her hand over her mouth and muffles her sobs, or tries to. But then someone tries the doorknob, and it gives way, the door opening silently. Behind the sheen of fog, she recognizes the curly dark hair.

Jesse sees her, steps under the closed shower with her, gathers her in his arms. He cuddles her naked and wet body against his and begins humming quietly, a song she recognizes right away. ‘Hello’ brings new tears to her eyes, and she hides her face on the crook of his neck, crying earnestly as her arms come to wrap themselves around his waist. Jesse presses his face against her soaked hair, and they stay like that for a while, both lost in their thoughts, but still connected somehow.


	3. Chapter Two.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the day after. Rachel freaks out, Jesse plans - and they both start to adapt to this new change in their lives.

**A** long time passes before Jesse and Rachel decide to come out of the shower – the hot water runs all out before they’re done with their ‘regrouping’. Once Rachel begins shivering, Jesse stands up, reaches out for a fluffy white towel on the nearest holder and wraps it up around his girlfriend’s naked body. He begins rubbing it softly against her skin, hoping to warm her up, carefully so nothing will happen to her **or** to their baby.

(He’s still processing the fact that there **is** a baby growing inside Rachel’s body).

Rachel blinks owlishly for a moment, looking at him without seeing for a moment before snapping back to reality. She begins to dry herself the best she can considering she’s still somewhat dazed, then hands the towel to him so he can do the same. As he pats himself dry, Rachel can’t help but watch him – the long, lean lines of his body, the hard planes of his torso, the rippling muscles of his back and arms. He’s absolute perfection: drive, intelligence and talent, all wrapped up in a beautiful package.

She’s so absorbed in her observation of him that it takes a few minutes to realize he has caught her, staring at her with a knowing smirk. She blushes, then smiles innocently. “What’s so funny?” She asks, busying herself with finding clean, dry clothes to wear.

Jesse doesn’t reply, only shakes his head negatively with a smile as he wraps the towel around his waist and makes his way to her bed, sitting there comfortably. “Come here,” he says after a moment, beckoning her with two fingers. She obeys, standing between his legs and draping her arms over his shoulders. She looks down to him, watching as he raises his arms, wrapping them around her waist and letting his chin rest against her (still) flat stomach.

“We’re going to be okay,” he tells her quietly. “You know that, right?” He changes his position so he can press his lips against the soft skin of her stomach, still stunned but thrilled that this girl, **his** girl, is having his baby. “I love you so much – the two of you. And I don’t know you, but for me this is not a mistake at all. It’s just we starting our inevitable a little earlier than planned.”

Rachel giggles softly, her eyes slightly tearing up. She leans down and presses her lips tenderly against his, her hand coming up to cup his shaved cheek. “We love you too. So, so much. But what will we do now? And where’s Noah? He sort of knows what we have to do from now on, since he has all this experience with Quinn…” She shrieks quietly when he tugs her down to his lap, giggling when he kisses her cheek, her temple, hides his face on the fall of her wet hair. “I missed you,” she confesses, curling up in him.

Jesse stays silent for a minute, just breathing in the sweet scent of her soap and feeling the warmth of her body, the velvetiness of her skin against his. “Puckerman left after threatening to kick my ass if I do wrong by you or by the baby,” he declares dramatically, and she laughs, because yeah, that’s so typical Noah. “And, with that cue, I have to ask: why weren’t the other members of your team with you when I performed? I know you were there – it doesn’t surprise me that you wanted to check me out,” he jokes lightly, “but I thought Schue would like to check the competition out.”

She laughs, rolling her eyes at his cockiness. “Quinn’s water broke backstage after our performance,” she explains. “I **had** to stay – not only because I wanted to see, though that was a big reason, but because I needed to see your team’s performance. No offense, Jesse, but our performance was way better – much more emotional.” She nods once, firmly, and he laughs.

“’I saw you in the audience,” he admits, kissing the silky skin on the curve of her neck. “You were beautiful in your costume, baby, but I noticed you’ve lost some weight. And you guys sounded great. I loved the Journey mash-up, to be honest.” His eyes darken as he remembers Finn’s unsubtle looks of longing towards Rachel, the way he pawed at her during the Journey mash-up.

Rachel somehow senses his thoughts, pushes him lightly down so he falls on his back on her bed. She lets her body fall over his, covering him, and frames his face with her hands, her eyes locking with his deeply. “Look at me, Jesse St. James,” she orders firmly. “I love **you**. I’m having **your** baby. Finn… Finn was my first crush, but he was just that: a crush. He was the first guy who treated me with relative decency and a little respect. But to say he’s my soulmate? To say he’s my one and only? That would be stretching the truth ten miles wide. I see him as a brother. Whatever it is that he feels for me – or that he thinks he feels for me – be sure that I don’t reciprocate,” she states seriously.

Jesse’s face breaks out in a huge, brilliant, relieved smile. “I have no idea whatsoever what I did to deserve you, Rachel Barbara Berry,” he declares sincerely. “But there’s no way I’m ever letting you go,” he says softly, slanting his lips over hers in a deep kiss.

* * *

**T** he next morning, Jesse wakes up early, earlier than Rachel, who’s sleeping on her back, her hand clutching his shirt. He watches her with a loving smile for a minute, then his eyes trail down her body, focusing on her belly, on the place where, in a matter of weeks, his child will grow. He slides down the bed, lifting her sleep-shirt up carefully in order to not wake her up.

He watches her naked belly for a moment, then a small smile breaks out on his lips and he leans down, kissing it affectionately. “Hey, little one,” he whispers against her skin. “It’s me… It’s **daddy**.” He shivers as the full meaning of that word sinks down on him. He’s a **father**. There will soon be a little boy or little girl whose life will at least for 18 years depend on him, and Rachel of course.

“Hey, baby,” he repeats, and takes a deep breath to fight back the urge to cry. “It’s daddy. I just… I think I just wanted you to know that you and mama aren’t alone anymore. I’m here, and I’ll always be here for the two of you. Right now, more for your mama than you, because she might never admit it, but she needs me. She doesn’t have many friends, no matter how amazing, sweet, beautiful, generous and talented she is. But now she has you and she has me, kid.” He kisses Rachel’s belly, leans his forehead against it and breathes deeply, trying valiantly not to cry.

Unknowingly to him, Rachel wakes up to a soft, melodic mumbling, and squirms slightly as a warm breath caresses and tickles the exposed skin of her tummy. She blinks sleepily, looks down – and comes face to face with Jesse’s beautiful curly hair, his face close to her stomach, his mouth moving in quiet words.

Yawning quietly, she needs a second to understand what he’s saying – but when she does, she has to fight hard not to start bawling at the tenderness and the sweetness of his words. She breathes deeply through her nose and forces herself to stay still, just listening to what Jesse’s saying to their child. When he’s done, she can’t help but let out a single sob – and he looks up sharply, their eyes locking.

When Jesse sees the tender look in her tearing eyes, he can’t help but feel a spike of worry. He slides up the bed and settles down next to her, laying on his side while Rachel mimics his position, sinking her face in her scented pillow. He lifts his fingers to caress her cheek, asking quietly, “Hey, baby… Why are you crying?”

“It’s just… I just…” She takes a deep breath and lets it out shakily. “I’m honestly terrified, Jess,” she whispers, her voice muffled by the pillow. “We’re so young, and you’re going to leave to UCLA in a matter of weeks. How are we going to work this parenthood thing out when you’re away on the other side of the country?” Rachel wipes her eyes unsuccessfully. “We can’t keep going back and forth between here and LA, it won’t be good for me and for you and especially for the baby, and I have school to worry with-”

Jesse, knowing her as well as he does, can tell she’s working her way up to a full-blown rant. Her concerns are valid, but all this stress can’t be good for their kid’s health, so he cuts her off with a soft press of his lips to hers. She’s stiff for a moment, but then their chemistry works its magic on her and little by little she starts to relax and melt in his arms.

When he’s sure she’s good and easy, but before he’s too fired up, he pulls away. “Rach, relax. Let’s take one day at a time for now, okay? Let’s focus on our summer together first. We can talk to Puck, maybe even Quinn, and ask for some pointers. As you said, they’ve lived through this, they can help us out the best. We can also go to Schue if you feel comfortable with it. And…” He hesitates for a second, then adds cautiously, “Maybe we can tell our parents?”

Rachel stiffens visibly, looking disbelievingly at him, and he assures her in a rush, “Rachel, my love, I know your mother fucked it up, but she’s human, and she loves you. I know she does. I know I can’t justify her actions, and I won’t, but, knowing her as well as I do, I’m sure she walked away only because she felt there’s nothing she can do for you. Don’t you think this is the perfect opportunity to prove her wrong, to show her you need her as much she wants you to?”

The pregnant teenager looks thoughtful for a moment. Jesse knows she’s turning his words into her head, pondering the truth in them. He has always had a way to make Rachel see things in a different perspective, and that led to a relatively drama-free life for them in their relationship (something that, in the last few weeks, was assumedly impossible). But he wants that easy-going life back, especially now, when she’s in such a sensitive state. He admittedly doesn’t know much about children, but one thing he knows is that stress can’t be good for their baby, and he wants her to live as stress-free as possible.

(It’s a huge shock for him, how this new, easy instinct to protect his girl and their baby has been taking over his other instincts. After all, being a father at 17 was never part of his game plan, and he’s certain many guys his age would leave running for the hills if their girlfriends told them they’re pregnant with their babies.)

(Then again, finding love at 17 in Ohio wasn’t part of his game plan either. But his game plan had never had Rachel as part of its odds. He hadn’t counted on her existing. Yet, she existed, and he found her, and fell for her. And now he can’t and won’t let go of her.)

After a long while, Rachel nods, very hesitantly and fearfully. “Okay. We can… We can add her to the list of people to tell.”

Jesse smiles at her reassuringly, takes her hand in his and lifts it to his lips, tenderly kissing her knuckles. “Don’t worry, Rach,” he tells her. “Everything’ll be fine. We’ll both be okay. Everything’ll work out for the best. I promise.”


	4. Chapter Three.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two phone calls and a surprising, but not unwelcome, change. Rachel and Jesse, being their cute, adorable, sexy selves.

**S** ince there’s no urgent need for them to jump out of the bed and start the new day, Rachel and Jesse decide to stay where they are, curled up together on her queen-sized bed, talking quietly to each other, often kissing and caressing each other. It doesn’t progress to more than kisses and caresses, though – they don’t have other thing in mind than to reassure themselves that they were once again together.

For a while, Rachel even manages to forget the mess she’s currently embroiled in. But it’s a short while. The baby she has conceived with the young man lying next to her makes itself known by turning her stomach around, making her so sick her vision swims with nausea. Loudly slapping her mouth over her lips, she jumps out of bed and rushes to her adjoining bathroom – with Jesse watching in confusion after her, only clueing in when he hears the muffled sound of her retching.

_Welcome to fatherhood_ , the former VA lead thinks fondly as he stands up from the bed and pulls his pants up, choosing to remain shirtless. He walks in her bathroom, shakes his head affectionately at her throwing up and fills a glass with tap water, taking the opportunity to also put toothpaste on her toothbrush. Once Rachel’s stomach is (apparently) empty, she wipes her mouth with a face towel he hands her, and he helps her stand up. She briefly leans against him, breathes deeply. “I hate this,” she whispers, and he chuckles.

“I’m sorry, baby,” he says unnecessarily, even though he’s really not.

“No, you’re not,” she shoots back, and he laughs heartily, gently leading her to the sink, where he left her toothbrush and the glass with water.

“No, I’m not,” he admits, put the glass with water on her hand. “Drink up, brush your teeth, wash your face and let’s get this day going. Do you wanna hit the diner for breakfast?”

Rachel takes a generous gulp of water, watches him doubtfully. “I’m not sure I can eat anything,” she admits, glances quickly at her toilet. “I feel everything I eat will send me back to where I was not even a minute ago, to be honest.”

Jesse seems to ponder this, nods slowly after a moment. “Fair enough. Then give me some time to think.”

“Okay,” she agrees easily, strips off his shirt that she had worn to bed the previous night. “I’m gonna take a shower.” She falls silent, bites her lower lip, then offers hesitantly, “… Want to join me?”

“As tempting as this offer is – and, believe me, baby, it’s **really** tempting,” he admits with a smirk, making her blush, “I have to pass it for now. Take your shower, relax, take your time. I’ll call Puck and set something up with him, see if Quinn’s up for a visit perhaps.”

“Okay,” Rachel nods, stands up on the tip of her toes to kiss him, then seems to remember her morning sickness and dodges from his mouth to his cheek. “I’ll be right out,” she promises, goes to the shower area with her toothbrush in her hand. Jesse smiles and leaves the bathroom, goes back to the bedroom to find his phone.

He sighs exasperated at finding it completely powerless. Cursing himself for his stupidity, he leaves the bedroom, makes his way to the family room. Finding the house’s cordless phone on its cradle, he picks it up, dials the number he knows by heart. It rings once, twice, three times, before a groggy and irritated voice answers.

“ _Fuck off_!” The man yells. Jesse rolls his eyes, laughs.

“Good morning to you too, uncle.”

“ _Jesse? What the hell are you doing out of bed at…_ ” Jesse hears fumbling noises, shakes his head imagining his bachelor uncle rubbing the sleep out of his eyes to look at the phone on his cell, “ _eight-thirty in a Saturday morning? I thought I had taught you better than this, kid!_ ”

“I just wanted to check in. I didn’t go back home last night-”

“ _I’ve noticed_ ,” his uncle replies dryly. “ _So at whose house did you crash last night? Don’t tell you’ve fallen back in bed with one of those VA bitches. They’re not Rach, you know_.”

“I know,” he replies imitating his uncle’s dry tone. “I spent the night at Rachel’s actually. We…” He hesitates, takes a deep breath. “We’re back together, Jim.”

“ _Hallelujah!_ ” James Powell cheers loudly, drops down back on his bed. “ _I’ll go back to sleep now. Have fun with your girl. Bring her around later this week, I miss that spitfire. And don’t fuck it up a second time, Jesse, you won’t be as lucky again_.”

“I know, uncle. I’ll set everything up with Rach and call you back with an answer. Oh, and my phone is powerless, so if you need to reach me call Rachel. I’ve given you her number, haven’t I?”

“ _She did_ ,” Jim answers, his voice already thick with sleep. “ _When we first met. Later, Jesse_.”

“Sweet dreams, uncle,” the nephew replies and ends the call. After a few seconds, he takes it back to the bedroom with him, finds Rachel’s phone charging and types the password in. After it accepts the code, he finds the contact book and scrolls through it, finding Puck’s number in it. He dials it on the home phone and, once again, waits. The call rings once, rings twice, rings three times.

Once again, the call is answered with a curse. “ _Fuck off, Berry! It’s too early!_ ”

“It’s not Rachel,” Jesse says, laughing. “Remind me to introduce you to my uncle.”

“ _St. Jerk?_ ” Once again Jesse hears fumbling noises, but this time he hears rustling sheets. “ _What are you doing-_ ” he starts asking; Jesse hears as his voice grows fainter, “ _-calling from B’s home phone? Is everything okay with her?_ ”

“Relax, Puckerman,” Jesse replies, touched by (and slightly jealous of) his concern towards Rachel. “She’s fine. A little morning sickness, but I believe it’s nothing unexpected considering-”

“ _Considering she has your bun in her oven? Yeah, she’s gonna be as sick as a dog for the next two months_ ,” Puck cuts him. “ _So. Why are you bothering me this early?_ ”

“First things first: I thought I was back to being St. James?” Jesse teases.

“ _Until Rach tells me herself you guys are okay, you’re still St. Jerk. So. What’s up? How’s B? How’s the kid?_ ”

“They’re the reason I’m calling. Rachel’s afraid she won’t be able to eat because of her morning sickness. She refuses to eat and ending up throwing up again.” He falls silent, and Puck sighs.

“ _Quinn suffered with morning sickness during her entire pregnancy. Whenever she felt ill she would drink Gatorade or eat salty crackers_ ,” Puck remembers, an odd emotion in her voice. He clears his throat, then says, “ _Have you told your old people already? I know the Berry daddies won’t be back until later next week, but you can start telling your folks the big news._ ”

Jesse sighs and focuses for a moment, listening closely to the sounds coming from the bathroom – water falling and Rachel singing in the shower, if he’s not mistaken it’s Celine Dion’s ‘A New Day Has Come’. He smiles slightly remembering the theme of the song. “You know my parents aren’t around most of the time, Puckerman. The only family I have is my uncle, and now Rachel and the baby,” he admits quietly. Puck doesn’t say anything in reply, remembering bonding moments with Rachel and Jesse. Their missing parents – Puck’s father, Rachel’s mother, Jesse’s father **and** mother – are points they’ve often talked about. “It’s her parents we’ll have to rely on more. My uncle has raised me, but I wasn’t a baby when my parents ditched me with him. They have no experience with babies whatsoever.”

“ _I guess you can count the glee club in too. But first things first. Take Rachel to the doctor so she and the kid can be checked out_ ,” Puck tells him gruffly.

Jesse nods even though Puck can’t see him. He worries his lower lip for a moment, pondering, then decides to plow ahead. “Listen, is Quinn out of the hospital already? I have a feeling it would do Rachel some good to talk to her.”

“ _No, not yet. I think she’ll be discharged later today. Beth’s adoptive parent has already taken her._ ”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Did you have some time with her before she left?”

“ _Yeah. It wasn’t nowhere near enough, for me she’d be getting ready to come home with me, but Quinn wouldn’t budge._ ” Puck falls in a pained silence, and Jesse doesn’t know what to say to comfort his reluctant friend. “ _Anyways. I have to go now. Don’t forget to take B to the doctor as soon as possible_.”

“I won’t. Hey, Puck?”

“ _Yeah?_ ”

“If you need everything, even if it’s somewhere to escape to, you can call me or Rachel, alright? We’re here for you.”

There’s a long silence on the other side of the line, then Puck says, “ _Thanks, man. Later_.”

“Later. Thank you, Puck.” The two boys hang up and Jesse puts Rachel’s phone back on her bedside table where it was charging.

Taking the unknown clue, Rachel comes out of the bedroom, her wet hair falling over her shoulders, a rebellious lock over her eyes. “So? What did Noah say?”

“You mean, after he cursed me?” Jesse teases, and she laughs.

“Sorry. I forgot to tell you he doesn’t like to wake up before noon on the weekends,” she apologizes, and he scowls playfully at her.

“ **Now** you tell me? You’re lucky you’re hot,” he flirts, and she giggles, blushing.

“So, what did Noah say?” She changes the subject, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

“He told me to fill you up with Gatorade and salty crackers. Apparently they became Quinn’s favorite snacks during her pregnancy, she suffered with morning sickness during it all.”

Rachel pales. “During all her pregnancy?”

Jesse nods. “But I doubt this will be your case. Anyways, I think we should hit the supermarket as soon as we go out. Oh, and he also told me to schedule an appointment with a doctor for you.”

Rachel nods in agreement and makes her way to her closet. Jesse watches as she moves away from him – and his eyes widen in disbelief as she opens her bathing gown, letting it drop to the floor by her feet. Seeing her slim back naked to his gaze, he feels his body responding quickly, desire coiling within him. It’s been quite some time since he has seen her this way, since the night when they made their child, and he has been celibate ever since despite having had several opportunities to break his self-imposed celibacy.

Rachel looks coyly over his shoulder at him, a small smile curling her lips. Maybe it’s seeing Jesse so comfortable in her bedroom, talking to one of her best friends, taking over control of their little family… It makes something dissolve inside of her, some little part of her that she was unconsciously protecting from him, leaving her comfortable and confident enough to take initiative. “See anything you like?” She asks huskily.

Jesse swallows dryly, nods slowly. Seeing this side of Rachel, seeing Rachel bring the confidence she displays onstage to the bedroom throws him slightly out of the loop for a moment. He’s so used to take charge in this area of their life that he blinks at her, owlishly, stunned into silence. His only response is to nod, frantically, like a virgin boy seeing a nude woman for the first time.

Rachel smirks a little, turns to Jesse and slowly starts to make her way to her bed. Jesse’s gaze moves hungrily over her naked body, and he only looks away from her lithe form to focus on her face when she’s in front of him in all her undressed glory.

Draping her arms over his shoulders, she leans down so that her lips brush sensuously against the curve of his ear. “You can touch me, you know?” She whispers, a teasing smirk on her lips.

The tone of her voice and the smell of her skin do him in, and he jumps her, pulling her flush up against him and twisting them both so that they fall on the bed, kissing her mouth, her face and her neck ferociously. Rachel laughs, and the sound of her laughter echoes around them like music.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> James ‘Jim’ Powell, Jesse’s uncle from his mother’s side, belongs to me. When I first wrote this chapter, I imagined one of my favorite actors as Jim (then named Samuel). The name has changed, but the characterization remains the same. Gabriel Macht is my headcanon for Jesse’s unnamed uncle.


	5. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Monday after Sectionals, and Finn finally catches up on Rachel's reconciliation with Jesse.

**A** fter they’ve sated their hunger for each other, Rachel and Jesse get out of bed again (she takes another shower, and this time he joins her) and finally start their day. He manages to talk her into going to their favorite diner to have breakfast – and she happily notices no sick twist to her stomach, only a voracious hunger that he fulfills with piles over piles of vegan pancakes (they’ve come to this diner times enough for the cook to grow fond of Rachel and adapt the menu to her eating ways) and jars over jars of orange juice.

When they’re both satisfied, Jesse remembers his older cousin, Eloise Caldwell, who is an OB/gyn and works on a clinic at Akron. He mentions Ellie to Rachel, who is understandably reluctant at first – she fears his cousin will spill the beans to her parents, who will in turn tell Jesse’s, “and I want us to tell them in person, Jess,” she tells him, firmly.

“Two things. One – my parents are frequent travelers, Rach, to the point that they haven’t set foot at our house in Akron in at least eight months. If you want to tell them in person, then you’ll have to settle for a Skype call in between my father’s business meetings and my mother’s spa appointments,” Jesse tells his girlfriend matter-of-factly. After a moment, he adds, “Two – Ellie as a doctor is forced to keep doctor-patient confidentiality if you choose to have her accompany your pregnancy. No matter what happens, she can’t tell anyone whatever it is that you tell her during your appointments. Plus, she’s not the type of girl to gossip.”

Rachel bites her lower lip, chews on it thoughtfully. While she knows Jesse has a point, still she can’t help but think that his cousin, moved maybe by some sort of family loyalty, can make some comment that will eventually sway Jesse’s parents against her position as his girlfriend. And, considering everything they had to overcome to be together (the baby was never part of their obstacles, but the lies, secrets, mistakes and different teams certainly were), the last thing they need is his parental units trying to tear them apart.

(She won’t allow them and she knows he won’t either. But she wants to avoid as much stress as possible, if only to make Jesse’s life a little easier.)

But having Jesse’s cousin as her doctor during the pregnancy will considerably reduce the price she’ll have to pay for appointments and exams. Even if she has to risk the St. Jameses knowing about the baby sooner than expected, and from a source other than herself and/or Jesse, it would still pay off, having a little extra money. After a moment, she nods slowly. “Okay,” she agrees. “We can call her office Monday morning.”

“Nonsense,” Jesse cuts off, waves his hand dismissively. “She’s my **cousin**. We just have to stop at my uncle’s house to pick up my phone charger and, once it’s recharged, I can call her and set it up.”

His girlfriend watches him a little uncertainly, but then nods again, sighing. “Okay. You win.”

“I already did,” he teases, and she smiles shakily despite the flash of pain in her eyes. She looks away from him, but he won’t let her, and he cups her cheeks in his hands, forces her to look at him. “Do you know when I won?”

Rachel can’t find the strength to speak, so she only nods.

“No. It wasn’t when you think I did. It was after you sang with me for the first time. It was when you accepted going on a date with me. I didn’t know then, but I do now, that was when I won. Because, more than the sectionals trophies, and the regionals trophies, and the national trophies… I won the girl of my dreams. I won a family I didn’t even know I wanted. It was when I won your heart, Rachel, that I won everything. You’re my prize, Rach. You always were, I was only momentarily blind to let you go.”

Rachel feels her eyes watering, and a small smile curves her lips. She brings her face close to Jesse’s, gives his lips a small peck. “I love you too,” she replies, her voice thick with tears. 

* * *

 

**A** fter that, for Rachel the weekend passes on a blur of happiness, and worry, and fear, and love, and JesseJesseJesse. Jesse cradling her as they fall asleep, his large, warm hands resting protectively and possessively over her still flat stomach. Jesse waking up and getting up to help her by holding her hair back or by filling her a glass with water when she’s busy throwing up. Jesse messing around on her family’s piano while she tries to decide what she feels like eating. Jesse surprising her with songs such as Queen’s ‘Somebody to Love’ and Elton John’s ‘Your Song’. Jesse easing her fears and reassuring her they’ll be just fine. Jesse admitting in the middle of the night, when they’re surrounded by darkness and with only the moon and her as witnesses, that he’s terrified he won’t be a good father to their baby. Jesse telling her time and time again she and the baby are the best things to have ever happened to him. Jesse calling her the love of his life, with his voice full of reverence and adoration. Jesse being there for her, scared and worried and fierce and strong and confident and safe and **perfect.**

Before she knows it, Monday arrives and she has to go to school. And, despite knowing it’s New Directions’ final days, despite her loss at regionals, she hasn’t felt this happy and peaceful in some time. Jesse drives her, stops near her usual parking spot and kisses her long and soft before she has to go in. She clings to his jacket, blinks languidly when he’s done.

“Can we just go back home?” She asks huskily and then blushes.

Jesse laughs. “Tease,” he jokes. “Just go. It’ll be over before you notice. Plus you’ll have the opportunity to check in with Puckerman, I’m sure he’s worried with you. You can also speak to Quinn about our little situation, set something up, I don’t know.” He reaches out, touches her cheek tenderly. She clings desperately at him, her eyes locking with his in an unspoken plea. He sighs, shakes his head with a smile. “Tell you what. Rehearsal today won’t start until ten thirty and it’s like an hour and a half from here to Akron. Why don’t I walk you to your locker?”

She brightens up considerably. “Can you?”

“Babe.” He presses his forehead against hers, smiles. “If there’s any way for me to tell you no when you ask me something, I still haven’t discovered it.”

She giggles softly. “I hope you never do discover it.”

“So do I.” Smiling, he gets out of the car, circles it and opens Rachel’s door for her with a flourish. She laughs exuberantly and accepts his help when he holds his hand out for her. Once she’s out of the car, Jesse wraps an arm around her shoulders, and they chat lightly as they make their way to the front doors.

Used as they are to see Rachel Berry and Jesse St. James all wrapped up in each other, the students on the halls don’t blink an eye when they see the loved-up couple strolling leisurely in. Rachel looks discretely around, trying to check if there’s any member of ND around. Knowing fully well what she’s up to, Jesse only squeezes her shoulders reassuringly, taking her to her locker.

They find Quinn and Puck leaning on a locker next to Rachel, the blonde looking sad and upset. When her former rival doesn’t react to seeing her in Jesse’s arms, Rachel concludes Puck has been keeping his baby mama up to date. Puck breaks the silence between them, pulls Rachel into a hug while Jesse nods at Quinn in greeting.

“How are you feeling, B?” He asks quietly.

“I’m okay, I promise, Noah.” She sees as her friend glances suspiciously at her boyfriend and rolls her eyes at his protectiveness. She puts a hand on his left cheek, forces him to look at her. “Noah,” she whispers, “ **We** ’re okay. We’re a family now.”

Puck glances quickly at her midsection, nods once. He lets go of her and approaches Jesse, slaps his back, while Quinn approaches the tiny brunette.

“Puck told me what’s going on,” she says quietly. Rachel widens her eyes, looks around quickly, tugs Quinn closer to her locker door.

“I thought he had. How are you feeling?” She asks, worried.

Quinn bites her lower lip, takes a deep breath, closes her eyes. Rachel puts a hand on her shoulder, squeezes it affectionately. “I’m sorry,” she whispers. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No, it’s okay,” Quinn rushes to reassure her. “Or it will be, eventually. It’s just… You’ll see. I was used to have her with me every second of every day. Now I’m struggling with getting used to her absence.”

“It’ll get easier,” Rachel says, knowing how useless her words are. She then wraps her arms around Quinn, hugs her tight. “I’m here for you if you need to talk or vent or just hang out and get your mind off things,” she whispers, and the blonde nods, her eyes filled with tears.

“Enough about me,” she says after a beat, wiping her eyes. “Let’s talk about you. How are you feeling?”

“I hate morning sickness,” the brunette whispers conspiratorially.

Quinn laughs. “Yeah, that’s a part I won’t miss at all. Puck told me he advised Jesse on the Gatorade with crackers?”

Rachel nods, looks at her boyfriend who is chatting amiably with her best guy friend. “I even brought a packet of crackers and a bottle of Gatorade with me today – Jesse insisted.”

“He sure seems to have reformed,” Quinn says as Rachel opens her locker to pull out a notepad. “Are you sure he won’t break your heart again?”

Rachel nods. “Yes. We spent the entire weekend discussing and sorting everything out until we were blue in the face. I think for the first time in months we’re again on the same page. We want to be together.”

Quinn smiles and changes the subject. “So, what are you going to do during the summer?”

Rachel brightens up considerably, and the two girls start chatting animatedly while their respective boys talk about music by their side. Rachel can’t help but feel thankful for this little support system she’s building, even if it’s only made of Quinn and Noah so far. It’s still more help than she had three days ago when she found out she was with child, and she can only hope it will grow more and more from now on.

The quartet spend the next several minutes chatting, from Quinn’s plans to get fit (she invites Rachel to tag along to her walks – and, since Rachel can’t work out on her elliptical until at least the birth, she agrees) to Jesse’s need to find a paying job (Puck invites him to be his partner at the pool-cleaning business, but retracts after a nasty glare from Rachel). Their little peaceful bubble explodes, however, when a tall shadow falls over them.

It’s Finn. His normally friendly face changes from shock at seeing Rachel chatting amiably with Quinn and Puck to confusion at seeing Jesse with them to, finally, a deep fury when he sees Jesse wrap an arm around Rachel’s waist and bring her closer to his body. He marches up to the four teenagers, and Rachel flinches when she looks up at him and sees the anger in his eyes. “What the **fuck** are you doing here?” He growls ferociously at his rival, holds his hand out and grabs Rachel’s forearm, tugging her away from her boyfriend. The strength of his hold is such that Rachel cries out in pain and struggles to break free.

“Finn!” Quinn screams. “Let her go! Don’t you see you’re hurting her?!”

Finn, however, focused as he is on Jesse, is deaf to Quinn’s words. With tears running down her cheeks, Rachel looks pleadingly at Quinn, who nods and starts to peel Finn’s fingers off Rachel’s arm. Once they’re successful, the blonde sees the dark scowl in Jesse’s face and gently leads the ND female lead to a far side.

Jesse’s protective instincts towards Rachel, which were strong when he was a McKinley student, are now multiplied tenfold with the addition of their baby to the mix. So, when he sees her screaming and crying in pain, pain that Finn Hudson once again caused her, it takes all his famous self-control not to beat his competition into a bloody pulp.

“Take your filthy paws off my girl, Hudson,” he orders, quietly but fiercely, and Puck realizes he’s hanging by a thread not to bust Finn’s skull open. Knowing Rachel as well as he does, and seeing her distress at the mess, he decides to act: he stands between the former VA lead and his former best friend, and puts a hand on the latter’s shoulder, the other on the former’s.

Rachel decides to help, and silently approaches her boyfriend, wrapping her arms around one of his. Puck relaxes his hold on Jesse’s shoulder, knowing that Rachel won’t let Jesse lose his mind and kill Hudson. But he focuses fully on Finn, aware that her influence on the quarterback doesn’t go as far as it does on her boyfriend.

Seeing Rachel hold Jesse back explodes Finn’s brain-to-mouth filter, and he barks out, “What the fuck are you doing here? Why the fuck are you with Rachel? Have you lost your fucking mind? She’s not **your** girl, she’s mine!”

“FINN!” Rachel yells.

Jesse laughs darkly. “I think **you** have gone completely insane. Your two braincells have finally burned out. Rachel is **my** girl, she has always been, especially now that she’s-” Jesse’s pride almost has him spilling Rachel’s earth-shattering secret in front of the entire school, but a warning glance from Puck and the anxious squeeze on his arm manage to shut him up. His eyes flicker to where Rachel stands behind him, and her panicked eyes plead with him to stay quiet.

Seeing her face, Jesse relaxes visibly. This allows Puck to focus fully on Finn, holding him back. Finn struggles against his hold when Jesse turns his back to his rival, hugs his girlfriend and they talk quietly to each other. _What the fuck is going on here?_ He Finn thinks as he struggles against Puck’s hold. “Fuck off, Puckerman, let me go,” he screams.

After Rachel nods once, the former VA lead turns back to his rival. With eyes as hard as steel, he says audibly, “Shove it through your thick skull, Hudson. Rachel is my girlfriend. **Mine**. So, do us all a favor and move your fucking ass on.” He takes Rachel’s hand and leads her away from the mess. Wiping her eyes, she leans against his shoulder, and he kisses the top of her head. “I’m sorry, baby,” he whispers.

Finn’s eyes darken dangerously as he watches the girl to whom he declared his love only three days ago (it’s only now that he notices she hadn’t said anything back) walk away with the one he thought she had broken up with. “What the hell is going on here?!” He demands wildly, looking from Quinn to Puck and back.

Quinn slams on her bitch face and shrugs indifferently. “Obviously,” she drawls slowly, “Berry and St. James worked things out during the weekend and are back together.” Finn gapes in disbelief at her, and she rolls her eyes. “St. James was right, Finn. You **have** to move on. Berry obviously did.”

She then turns her back to her ex-boyfriend and wraps her arm around Puck’s, leading him away. Puck accompanies her, only taking the time to nod briefly at his former best friend, leaving him bewildered behind them. Finn seethes at the two pairs, his brain working furiously. _What the fuck is going on?_

* * *

 

**W** hen it’s time for rehearsal, Rachel’s the last to arrive on the auditorium. She’s exhausted from spending the entire day escaping Finn’s vigilance. He has spent all the classes they share watching her like a hawk, with an expression that looked like he wanted to decipher her inner thoughts. Because she had an amazing showface, and because he’s no Jesse and never had any inkling to her inner feelings, he spectacularly failed (thankfully).

She walks in and Noah and Quinn zero in on her, noticing her visible exhaustion. Scowling and glaring at Finn, they meet her halfway through and take her to a seat between them, to everyone’s absolute surprise. After a few minutes, however, the other gleeks quit staring, allowing Quinn to nudge Rachel subtly, pointing with her head towards a darkened spot near the back of the auditorium.

Narrowing her eyes in that direction, Rachel nearly gasps loudly when she recognizes a very familiar silhouette. Jesse’s hidden among the shadows, his own hawk-like stare following her. But, this time, she feels excited, the weight of Jesse’s eyes on her making her skin tingle in the most delicious way. Jesse’s presence also serves as a comfort for her, after the awkward school day he had.

Glaring at his former girlfriend and former friend, Finn approaches Rachel, his eyes growing hard as they focus on her. However, when he opens his mouth to obviously interrogate her on what he saw earlier that day, she sends him her darkest glare. “Not now, Finn.”

Before he can reply, Mr. Schue rushes in, late as usual. Rachel notices the moment he catches sight of Jesse there, but she sends him a quick pleading glance and shakes her head subtly. Miraculously, the teacher lets go and looks questioningly at his pupils. “What’s going on here?”

It’s their clue to start to compare who they were before New Directions and how Mr. Schue ended up changing all that by starting the club. When Finn says he’s never had a man to look up to, she starts tearing up. The first tear falls when she brokenly tells the teacher they’ve won no matter what the judges decided. And, when Mercedes wrap it up by saying Mr. Schue is glee and now all of them are too and they begin singing ‘To Sir With Love’, she’s full on crying. Noticing this, Noah and Quinn each take one of her hands, squeezing them reassuringly, and she smiles thankfully at them.

She looks out at where Jesse’s sitting, and their eyes lock. She smiles brightly and tearfully at him, and he smiles back. She could bet she sees him wiping his eyes discretely.

Once they’re done, the other members hug Mr. Schue and start leaving. Knowing he can’t leave until the auditorium is empty, she starts a conversation with Quinn and Noah, who quickly pick up on her motive to stay and hang back. Finn, furious that Rachel won’t give him the time of the day, is the first out of the door. Matt, Mercedes, Mike, Kurt, Santana and Brittany follow him. Artie and Tina are the next to leave. Finally, it’s only the teacher and the two couples in the auditorium. Mr. Schue smiles a little tearfully at Rachel, and she grins back.

“It was a beautiful performance, Rachel,” he tells her, and her grin widens. The teacher’s eyes find Jesse, who is making his way towards them. His eyes grow guarded as he turns back to his star pupil. “So… From your lack of surprise at seeing Jesse, I can guess correctly that you knew he was here?”

Rachel smiles nervously at him and nods jerkily. Jesse finally reaches them, sidles right up to her and wraps an arm around her neck, kissing her temple. She breathes in his perfume and closes her eyes, lets his proximity settle her nerves. When she opens her eyes again, the teacher is surprised at the change. Gone is the anxious girl, replaced by a serene and collected young woman. “As you can see, Jesse and I are back together, Mr. Schue.”

“Yes, I can. And, if I may…” He nervously clears his throat. “May I ask when did all this happen? Because, last I checked, you had crushed an egg on her head, Jesse. And you, Puck, wanted to beat him up. And you, Quinn, promised hell would freeze over before you made friends with Rachel.”

The teens flinch visibly at his words, but since he’s not lying, they start putting their thoughts in order to explain why the circumstances have changed since the weekend. Because their reasoning is the easiest, Puck and Quinn start speaking.

“St. James and I had a serious conversation about B when he arrived at her house to work things out with her. Because she is my friend and he has proven he wants to make right by her this time, I decided to let go of my grudge against him,” the left tackle explains calmly.

“As for me,” Quinn picks up when Puck is done talking, “Rachel has treated me with nothing but respect and kindness. She even offered Jacob Ben-Israel a bribe when he blackmailed her with exposing my pregnancy. I have no reason, not that I ever did, to be unpleasant to her,” she says primly.

Finally, Jesse and Rachel seem to end their unspoken conversation. Holding hands, they stand between Quinn and Puck. “Mr. Schue,” she says carefully, “you’re about to become privy to a secret only the four of us know. It’s my secret and Jesse’s, and we would like for you to likewise respect our privacy and keep it with you for the time being.”

Mr. Schue stares worriedly at the small girl, but nods somewhat hesitantly. Rachel takes a deep breath, squeezes Jesse’s hand and then whispers, “I’m pregnant, Mr. Schue. And Jesse’s the father.”

The teacher can almost feel his jaw drop to the floor in shock. He stares at Rachel, then back at Jesse. He notices little changes in Jesse’s whole posture, such as the protective way his arm curls around her neck, the light in his eyes whenever he looks at his girlfriend. Plus, he’s relaxed now, as if an unseen weight has fallen off his shoulders, in a way Schuester didn’t see when he was studying at McKinley or being part of New Directions.

And he can’t overlook the absolutely confident way Rachel stands next to him, as if she’s sure there’s no reason for her to fear anything coming from the young man by her side.

After pondering everything, he offers the young pair a hesitant but sincere smile. “I see congratulations are in order.” He makes a pause, seems to think about what he’s going to say, then decides to say it anyway. “You two are aware it’s going to be difficult, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Jesse says firmly, squeezes Rachel’s waist affectionately. “But it’ll be so worth it.”

Mr. Schue smiles, shakes his head a little fondly. “Then there’s nothing else to say, is there? If you guys have made your mind, then all I can do is to give you my congratulations and wish you good luck.”

He waves at the teenagers and turns around to leave. Jesse, Rachel, Quinn and Puck watch as the teacher walks away, and Puck is the one to voice what they’re all thinking.

“Is it just me or he doesn’t believe at all on what Jesse and Rachel have just told him?”

“It’s not just you,” Rachel says.

“But that’s okay,” Jesse carries on, starts leading Rachel away to the exit. “Rachel’s opinion is the only one that matters. The others can kiss my ass.”


End file.
